August 12, 2018

The Elders selected nine members representing a cross-section of our congregation to serve as a Pastor Search Committee. Mark Gilchrist and Ron McAfee served as Chair and Vice-Chair.

Also, a prayer team was selected to pray for the committee. They met weekly. We felt their prayers as well as those offered by you. Thanks to everyone.

We want to explain the process the committee used to evaluate candidates for Senior Pastor of MBC. First, the committee surveyed the congregation to obtain your preferences and thoughts. To help locate interested applicants, job descriptions were posted at seminaries, and also spread by word of mouth. Over 80 people applied.

To organize the selection process, we divided the committee into three groups of three members each. When an applicant’s resume was received, he was assigned to a group based on his date of contact, e.g., group 1 got the first applicant, group 2 the second, etc. Each group of three evaluated their respective applicants by studying resumes, listening to sermons online and analyzing their answers to formal questions the committee prepared. Each candidate was ranked from 1 to 3 with one being the best. Very few received a 1.

If a group deemed an applicant to be a 1, then that person was presented to the entire group of nine members for further evaluation, with all nine members listening to his sermons, studying his resume, etc. This consumed lots of hours. The entire committee then ranked this group from 1-3 eventually ending up with 3-4 prime candidates who became finalists from the original group of 80+ applicants.

What qualities were the committee searching for?

Survey was clear. You wanted an expositional teacher whose sermons explained scripture, but in a way that helps each of us deal with the everyday issues of living.

Needed pastoral experience

Excellent references

Stable family – and wife who was involved in local church ministry

Able to relate to all ages, but especially to youth and young families

Comfortable with a team approach to ministry involving all pastors

After all the above described research was completed, John Frawley was selected as a top candidate, who was then formally interviewed by the committee. The next step involved attending his current church to listen and watch him in action without him knowing we were present. After careful consideration, the committee voted to recommend Pastor John Frawley to the Elder Board as the candidate for MBC’s next Senior Pastor.

After a review of his documents, the Elders concurred with the committee’s recommendation. An interview was then scheduled at which the Elders and Pastors met John. A few days after that combined meeting, he and his wife met with the Elders, Pastors, and their wives for further examination and communication. Two days later, he met alone with the pastors for informal discussions.

On August 6, the Elders and Pastors met to discuss his candidacy and unanimously agreed he would be a good fit for MBC. Later that evening the Elders unanimously voted to extend an offer to Pastor John Frawley to officially become a candidate for the position of Senior Pastor of MBC. A phone call was placed, and he accepted the offer to return for an officially candidacy visit to meet the congregation.